East China recall threat perverts democracy

Of all the wrong reasons to threaten a public official with recall, the one formulated by anonymous opponents of East China School District potential building realignment has to be the most childishly ludicrous.

In Cottrellville Township, perhaps not the most perfect example of local governance, the supervisor is targeted for recall because she limited citizens’ participation in the democratic process. It may have been a niggling violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act, but it was nonetheless an affront to democracy.

East China school board members are being threatened for the opposite reason. Facebook posters without the courage to identify themselves say they will circulate recall petitions if the board does involve the public in the democratic process.

After failing to find a community consensus on a strategy to address declining enrollment and shrinking revenues, East China hired consultants Barton Malow for advice. In simplest terms, Barton Malow suggests East China reinvent itself to match the new realities facing it and most other school districts. That reinvention comes with a price tag.

East China school board members and the administration are studying that recommendation. If they decide it is appropriate, they will ask the district’s voters for the money to pay for it. That vote, obviously, will be a referendum on their vision for the school district — and will be the most perfectly democratic method to decide how classrooms, buildings and resources will be used in the future.

Strangely, childishly, putting that referendum on the ballot would trigger the threatened recall. By asking voters to participate in the democratic process, school board members would be putting their roles in jeopardy.

Perhaps the people behind this threat don’t trust East China School District voters to do the right thing if and when the school board calls them to vote on a tax increase. Why, then, we wonder, would those same malcontents expect voters to choose appropriately in a recall election? Perhaps the threat is a hollow one; it is certainly illogical and immature.

We trust East China voters, if asked to raise taxes to ensure the long-term viability of their district, would weigh the pros and cons and choose wisely.